


but first, coffee

by XOLove47



Series: brevity is the soul of wit (drabbles & ficlets) [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU August, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No SHIELD (Marvel), F/M, Flirting, coffee shop AU, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25681369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XOLove47/pseuds/XOLove47
Summary: Cafe owner Daisy does a double take when Daniel Sousa walks through her doors. But is something besides coffee brewing between them?[Written for aosficnet2's AU August Day 2: Coffee Shop AU]
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: brevity is the soul of wit (drabbles & ficlets) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415017
Comments: 15
Kudos: 107
Collections: AOS AU August 2020





	but first, coffee

It was the tail end of the morning rush, when a man in a well-tailored suit walked into Daisy’s coffee shop.

He initially caught her eye because he didn’t look like most of her clientele, which tended to be of the hipster variety, largely due to her proximity to the nearby university. But upon further inspection, she couldn’t deny that he definitely was objectively attractive, too. Maybe a little too buttoned up for her taste, but handsome nonetheless.

Daisy greeted him warmly, “Welcome to Quake & Bake Cafe. What can I get you?” 

He returned her smile, “A large Americano, please.”

“That’ll be $3,” Daisy said, as she picked up a cup from the stack next to the register. “Can I get a name for the cup?” 

“Daniel,” he answered, as he swiped his card to pay.

She scrawled the name on the white cardboard, “Okay, you’re all set. You can pick up your drink at the end of the bar when it's ready.”

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Daniel became a regular, always ordering the same thing-- a large Americano.

Daisy would try and tempt him with other drinks and baked goods, but he always stuck with his usual. Their friendly banter was often a highlight of her day.

Most days, he took his coffee to-go, but sometimes he set up shop at one of the tables in the back.

On one of the days where he was hanging out, Daisy was restocking the bar. 

As she came out of the back room carrying a large box, she heard a familiar voice ask, “Can I help with that?”

Looking up to see Daniel standing there, Daisy shook her head, “Nah, I got it. The box is light, just awkwardly sized. Besides, I can’t be putting my best customer to work, can I?”

Daniel smiled, “Best customer, huh?”

Daisy backpedaled, “Well, at least the most consistent. One of these days, I’ll get you to try something besides an Americano, so I can show off my impressive barista skills.”

Daniel took a sip of his coffee and laughed, “We’ll see about that.”

* * *

Most days, Daisy loved her job. Today was not one of those days. It had been a particularly chaotic morning in the shop. It had started off fine, but then a big catering order came in at the last minute. And of course, her espresso machine decided to crap out half way, leaving her with only her backup machine to get her through the rush. The cherry on top was when she forgot to put the lid on the blender, covering herself in iced coffee and milk.

When Daniel walked in, she barely had the energy to take his order and it barely registered when he added a chocolate chip cookie to his order.

“Here’s your Americano,” Daisy said. “And your cookie. Finally mixing it up a bit, I see.”

Daniel shook his head, “Oh no, the cookie is for you. You looked like you were having a rough morning and needed a pick-me-up.”

Daisy bit back a smile, “You know, I _do_ own this place-- I can have as many cookies as I want. That and the free coffee are one of the few perks.”

“Yeah, but I’d figured it’d make you smile anyway.”

Daisy laughed and the smile she had been holding back broke free.

Daniel smiled back, “See? It worked. Mission accomplished.”

* * *

When Daniel walked into the cafe after over a week of not coming in, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief.

“There’s my favorite MIA customer! I was getting worried about you,” Daisy said by way of greeting. “I missed seeing you in here everyday.”

“I had to go out of town unexpectedly,” Daniel explained. “I missed you...r coffee, too.”

“The usual? It’s on the house.”

Daniel tried to refuse, “Oh, that’s not necessary.”

“I insist. Consider it a welcome home gift.”

Biting her lip, Daisy hesitated for a second-- this could cost her a loyal customer. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Before she could chicken out, she scribbled a note on his cup, _I really did miss you. Call/text me sometime? 555-447-0702._

Daisy twisted the note away from him as she handed him the cup and he ducked back out, promising to be back to tomorrow.

So when she felt her phone vibrate in her apron, alerting her to a text not a minute later, her pulse started to race.

Unlocking her phone, she had a message from an unknown number that read: _Same here. Free for dinner tonight?_

Typing back an enthusiastic yes, Daisy smiled. There was so much she needed to do before their date, but first, she needed another cup of coffee.

She had a feeling it was going to be a late night.

**Author's Note:**

> There haven't been a ton of AUs yet for Dousy and thought a classic like a coffee shop AU would be a good one to start with! Hope you all enjoyed :) Also, I'm still taking prompts for AU August-- a full list of claimed prompts can be found on my tumblr @accio-the-force!


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